“Come with me,” he whispers.
We walk together hand-in-hand back to the shelter of the helm. Drew lets go of me to look beneath the console and pulls out a medium-sized rectangular box wrapped in white paper and fitted with a golden ribbon.
“Is that for me?” I ask, biting my lip.
“Wouldn’t be your birthday without a gift,” he says, holding it out.
I reach for it. He jerks it out of reach with a teasing smirk before finally letting me have it. I chuckle as I bring it to my ear and give it a light shake, but I hear little beyond the light shuffle of tissue paper inside. I slide the ribbon free, gaze at Drew to extend the moment even longer, then peel the lid off the box.
A small letter-sized canvas sits inside. It’s decorated with paint and pictures ripped from magazines. The Chicago skyline. A golden watch. A couple in love.
“Five Goals for a Perfect Year,” I read the line of text at the top.
There are five bullet points beneath it, each one obscured by a piece of colorful washi tape.
“What’s this?” I ask Drew.
“That is my vision board,” he answers.
“You made a vision board?” I gasp as I look it over again. “How cute!”
He nods. “I’ve been thinking a lot about next year. There’s a lot I want to accomplish, but I narrowed it down to five goals. And one sub goal.”
“How very organized of you. I’m so proud.”
“I learned from the best.” He bobs his head. “Go ahead.”
I pinch the first piece of tape and slowly peel it back. “Learn a new life skill!” I read with a laugh.
“It’s a classic for a reason.”
“Number two...” I pull the second piece back. “Buy a home.” I blink in surprise. “Really?”
“Remember how my dad was telling us about those condos he was trying to unload?” he asks.
I squint. “Vaguely...”
“I’m thinking I might buy one.”
“Wow,” I say. “You think you’re ready?”
“I think so,” he answers with a nod. “I love Chicago. I grew up here. I don’t really see myself leaving. And you seem pretty set up here, too, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Just seems like the thing to do.”
“Have you told Seth yet that he needs to find a new roommate?”
“No.”
I wince. “Well, good luck with that.”
He chuckles as I yank the third piece of tape off the canvas.
“Open the bar,” I read with a nod. “Oh, that’s an obvious one.”
“Seth and I are more than ready,” he says. “We have a plan. We have the support. We just have to do it.”
